Palmer spalding



(No Model.)

P. SPALDING. WIRE FENCE.

No. 131,758. Patented July 8, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PALMER SPALDING, OF CHIOAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BIRD, TURNBULL & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,758, dated July 8, 1890.

Application filed April 14, 1890. fierlal No. 347,764:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PALMER SPALDING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in \Vire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wire fences; and its objectis to provide a fence which is strong, durable, and light, and can be economically manufactured.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement hereinafter described and claimed. I 5 Like letters refer to the same parts in the several figures of the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a' section of my improved fence. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of one of my stays. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, and

Fig. 4 is a plan of one of the stays in operative relation toward a section of wire.

In constructing my fence a suitable number of longitudinal wires are secured to posts A, planted about fifty feet apart. The purpose of separating the posts by this comparatively large distance is to give elasticity to the fence. Intermediate of the posts I attach to the wires a stays B. These stays are 0 rolled from sheet metal into channel-iron shape, and are most advantageously located about five feet apart. One way of arranging the stays is to connect adjacent stays alternately to the three top wires and to the three 5 lower wires of the fence; but it is manifest that such stays may be lengthened and connected to all the Wires of said fence. The front edges of the stays are provided with notches or recesses of such depth as to admit 40 and inclose the strands of wire, and there are as many notches or recessesin each of the stays as there are wires connected to such stays. As will be seen, none of the stays rest upon the'ground, but all are supported enproduce a picket fence, the wires serving notches or recesses in the front edges thereof. The main function of the stays is to prevent the sagging or displacement of the individual wires of the fence; or, in other words, they are braces, and therefore can be placed at such distances apart as will adapt them to this purpose.

By the construction and arran gem ent above described I can erecta fence strong enough to confine cattle, light and portable, and extraordinarily cheap.

I am aware that a fence has been patented 6o composed of a series of wires, the strands of which inclose pickets arranged so closely together as to form the substantial part of the fence, and of a sill and sheathing at the bottom of the fence for supporting the pickets; but this I do not desire to cover, for my invention is widely different therefrom in principle and construction. In the former patented construction the aim and result are to merely to string the pickets, while the strength and substance of the fence reside in the association of pickets; but I aim to and do produce a Wire fence the strength and substance of which reside in the wires, with stays or braces to hold them in place.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A wire fence composed of posts arranged at comparativelylong intervals, a series of longitudinal Wires, and channeled sheet-metal stays 0r braces having their edges provided with notchesof sufficient depth to substantially receive and inclose such wires,' substantially as shown and described.

2. A wire fence composed of posts arranged at long intervals, four longitudinal wires, and a series of stays or braces, the adjacentstays or braces being connected alternately with the three top and the three lowest wires, substantially as set forth.

PALMER SPALDING.

Vitnesses:

J ESSE BIRD, FREDERICK SEARLE. 

